Alternator system for rail car electronics

ABSTRACT

A drive system and mounting system for an vehicle mounted alternator is provided wherein such an alternator system may be mounted to the structure directly above the axel/bearing combination by means of a mounting plate and associated spacers that are is adaptable to a wide range of rail freight cars, associated bearing adapters, bearing sizes and types, and side frames. This alternator system employs automatic tensioning devices similar to those in automobiles and is enclosed to provide protection from the elements and vandalism.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Patent Application: Self Contained Alternator System for Rail CarElectronics. Patent Application No. 60/540,824—Customer #000037984 U.S.Pat. Documents 731382 June 1903 McElroy 322/42 732239 June 1903 Turbayneet al 322/43 768392 August 1904 Moskowitz 322/42 1319066 October 1919Grob 322/42 1389463 August 1921 Turbayne 322/43 2743679 May 1956 Lofton74/242 3306121 February 1967 Jenkins 74/242 3702570 November 1972Stikkers 74/242 3924483 December 1975 Walker et al 74/242 4165466 August1979 Stikkers 290/3; 322/42; 474/117

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Work on this invention has been wholly funded by TransportationMonitoring Systems, LLP (TMS) an dall rights to it are retained by it.

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTINGCOMPACT DISC APPENDIX

Not applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

TMA has been investigating methods of providing power to monitoringsystems, both for maintenance and security purposes of individual railfreight cars of a variety of types. Reliable power generation for suchsystems has been a problem for such systems.

There is no industry commitment to a standard to be implemented viacables from the locomotive. This invention provides an individualfreight car with power for such monitoring systems and other ancillaryfunctions by charging a battery by providing an external retrofit kitfor many types of freight rail cars and associated bearing types andwheel sizes. It does so while providing a more compact enclosed systemthat fits at the end of an axel and provides some protection from theelements and casual vandalism.

It should be noted that several patents have addressed similar problemsgoing as far back as 1903 and as recently as 1979. A Timken, internal tothe bearing generator, requiring bearing change was put on trial in2004. None of these has been accepted by the industry.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A self contained alternator system is mounted in close proximity to onebearing of a rail freight car by attachment to the outside of thebearing adapter, The alternator package provides a low profile allowinguse on a wide variety of freight cars and provides power in eitherdirection of train movement. It is belt driven and employs tensionpulleys, similar to those in autos to provide constant tension over alimited range of movement between the bearing adapter and bearing. Itcan provide power to a battery or directly to an electronic system suchas a monitoring system.

The Alternator System employs two different mounting sub-systems“floating” independently of each other within a limited range (The Axeland Bearing in relation to the Adapter and Side Frame. An automaticpivot tensioning system mounted to the support plate is employed toabsorb this variation. The alternator itself is mounted to the supportplate. The cover encloses both mounting systems and is easily removedfor belt replacement and installation and maintenance activities.

DRAWING DESCRIPTIONS

FIG. 1—Typical Rail Freight Car Truck—This figure provides the structureto which the self contained alternator system is appended. (forexplanation of the patent application)

FIG. 2—Front View—Self Contained Alternator System for Rail CarElectronics This view depicts the relationship of the major elements ofthe patent application to each other, the takeoff drive wheel, thetension pulley, the alternator and the mounting arrangements to theadapter and bearing cover.

FIG. 3—Left Side View with Cover—Self Contained Alternator System forRail Car-Provides view of the system with the cover on and attachmentmethod

FIG. 4—Right Side View—Self Contained Alternator System for Rail CarElectronics—This view depicts the relationship of the major elements ofthe patent application, the depth of the unit and the relation to thebearing and bearing adapter to each other.

DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 provides basic information as to the freight car structure onwhich this apparatus will be mounted. This invention is a device thatmounts on an Bearing Adapter and the Bearing Cover Plate of a rail cartruck system at either end of any axel. (See FIG. 1.) It provideselectricity to charge a battery that supplies power to a variety ofelectronics modules that may be employed on the rail car. The apparatusmay be employed over a range of wheel, bearing and related bearingadapter sizes by the utilization of different mounting holes in thesupport plate 1 and take-off pulley 21 and an adjustable support plate.

FIG. 2 provides a good embodiment of the drive apparatus which isintended to drive an electric alternator or generator. This is carriedon a rail freight car truck shown in FIG. 1. The attachment to the railcar truck system is by mounting of the support frame (reference number1) to the bearing adapter by means of four bolts, 5A,B,C and D intodrilled holes in the Bearing Adapter Face shown in FIG. 1. (The holelocations may vary for each bearing adapter size.)

The support plate 1 is primarily supported by an adjustable support foot2 which is attached to the support plate 1 by means of two machinescrews, 3A and B. The support foot employs an elastomeric shockabsorbent material between it and the bearing adapter lug 31 beneath it.A slot 32 in the support plate 1 allows for a range a wheel sizes andassociated bearings and adapters.

The support plate has a hole 33 cut in it to allow for larger freightcar wheel and bearing sizes and for momentary change in relationship ofbearing (32 and 33, FIG. 4) to bearing adapter 34 due to large bumpswhen the bearing retainer mounted to the side frame and under thebearing, is not installed (as shown). This opening is covered by anelastomeric gasket 8 to provide protection from the elements and is heldin place by a gasket retainer 9 held in place by six machine screws10A-F attached to the support frame 1.

A lateral stand off between the apparatus and the side frame (FIG. 1) isprovided for these momentary dislocations by two stand off bumpers 11Aand B, made of compressible elastomeric material.

The power takeoff is directly from one wheel bearing on the rail car bymeans of a pulley 21 attached to bearing cover plate 32 FIG. 4. Anelastomeric belt 19, ribbed or cogged, is used to drive an alternator12. A tension pulley17, as employed in automobiles, maintains belttension.

The take off pulley 21 is mounted directly to the bearing cover 32 inthe case of smooth bearing covers (s in Brenco bearings) as shown inFIG. 4, or over a spacer (not shown) in case of bearing covers with“ears” (such as with Timken provided bearings.)

The retaining cap screws 23A-C retaining the bearing covers are replacedby those ¼″ longer in the case of smooth bearing covers; longer ones(conforming with MR requirements) for those with “ears” requiringspacers. A cap screw retaining plate 22 for the pulley/bearing cover capscrews 23A-C is reutilized to stop cap screw rotation.

A commercially available tension pulley assembly 18 is mounted to thesupport frame 2 by a bolt and retainer 27 in at a distance from thesupport frame2 utilizing an appropriate spacer to insure alignment withthe takeoff pulley 21.

The alternator 12 is mounted on shaft 26A retained by a shaft retainer26 on the back of the support frame 2. An alternator stator mountingplate 21A is mounted to the support plate 2 and provides appropriatespacing for the alternator 2 for proper alignment with the take offpulley 21. Additional spacers or custom alternator stator mountingplates are required for takeoff pulley arrangements other than thatshown to bearing size and type (with or without ears).

The electric regulator 15 is a weatherproof enclosure connected to thealternator 12 with a cable 14, and to a battery and or other supportedelectronic by a cable 16. Other commercial enclosures may besubstituted.

The top of the support frame 2 supports the cover 29 and is a provisionfor providing additional internal support for the alternator and tensionpulley if required.

FIG. 3 provides a left view the un-mounted unit with the cover 29 whichis attached by 4 screws 24, 25 and 28A and B. Four small drain holes inthe bottom of the cover are not shown.

FIG. 4 depicts the apparatus in relationship to the bearing adapter 11to which the support frame 2 and all components except those related tothe takeoff pulley 21 are mounted. FIG. 4 also depicts the takeoffpulley 21 associated components in relation to the bearing cover plate32. A cross section of a bearing 33, bearing cover plate 32 and abearing adapter 31 is provided and also shown with the apparatus mountedin dotted outline.

The apparatus may be added to the rail car truck during car manufactureor can be retrofitted to the rail cars in the field or repair shops. Itwill fit a variety of rail car types, freight car truck manufacturer'smodels, and rail car wheel sizes by means of a mounting back plate withseveral sets of mounting holes associated with bolts 5A-D, an adjustablesupport foot 2 and spacers for mounting of the three pulley assembliesand the by variable position of the automatic tensioned idler pulley.

The attachment to the axel and bearing is carried out with a pulley witha set of mounting holes 23A-C that varies according to the axeldiameter.

The Alternator system will work in either direction of rail car traveland can provide power at several voltages depending on rail car needs byalternator substitution.

A cable assembly from the Alternator goes to the battery to be charged.Alternator System status signals may also be send via signal lines to amonitoring system. The associated battery housing and mounting is notincluded in this invention and may be mounted in several locations,depending on rail car and truck type.

1. A belt driven self enclosed alternator system mounted to the bearingadapter and bearing end plate—In a rail freight car having a framestructure and truck mounted thereon; an axle extending between and fixedto an associated set of wheels for rotation therewith, said axle withassociated bearing serving as a rotateable driver shaft; an electricalalternator with a stator and driven rotor within the alternator housing;and a drive apparatus for said alternator comprising a driver sheavefixed to above said rotor bearing end plate, and belt means operativelyconnected between said drive sheave (pulley) to a driven sheave (pulley)of the alternator; the improvement in said apparatus comprising amounting to the bearing adapter of said rail freight car side framestructure providing a common mounting for the said alternator and a belttension pulley to provide a constant tension on the drive belt andallowing for precise alignment of these two pulleys (drive and driven)by means of mounts and spacers of the two pulleys.
 2. On a rail freightcar further improvement comprising a support structure to the saidalternator support plate that allows for fit on the supporting bearingadapter ear/lug protruding from the face of the bearing adapter andbearing adapter face by means of slot in the alternator support plateand an adjustable support shoe, both mounted with machine screws; and awide opening in the alternator support plate; and by use of mounts andspacers for pulley alignment. The alternator support plate slots,adjustable support shoe mounting arrangements and spacers and will allowuse of the apparatus on most rail freight car types, wheel and bearingsizes, and bearing cover plates.
 3. A largely enclosed system providingprotection from weather, track dust and debris, and some protection fromcasual vandalism by means of: the alternator support plate employing anelastomeric gasket to cover a large portion of the opening in thealternator support plate below the bearing which allows the alternatorsystem to float within a limited range within normal fluctuationsbetween the bearing adapter and the bearing itself.
 4. An opening in thesupport frame below the bearing to allow a large (abnormal) dislocationin the relationship of the bearing adapter and the with bearing withoutdestruction of the apparatus when bearing retainers below the bearingsare not properly installed.
 5. A lower profile design (down lowerdimension from said axle/bearing center) may be provided with lessmargin of safety for the apparatus where Rail Road companies so specifyand assume responsibility for proper installation of bearing retainers.(A future improvement)
 6. A lower profile design lower height frombearing center line but wider) utilizing a more serpentine belt and anadditional idler pulley option (A future improvement)
 7. A variety ofmounting hole templates for the alternator support plate to allow use ofsaid apparatus with most wheel and bearing sizes and associated bearingadapters, allowing use over a wide range of rail road freight car types.